International rail data exchange specialist Hit Rail B.V. will migrate in the next three months its internationally recognised interoperability platform HEROS (Hermes Open Services) to a public cloud environment using AWS (Amazon Web Services). Hit Rail has appointed AWS advanced consulting partner and reseller inQdo B.V. to support the migration of its HEROS middleware platform to the cloud, along with all its infrastructure services. inQdo will also provide ongoing support for Hit Rail’s AWS IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) HEROS platform.
Hit Rail B.V. is a leading provider of telecommunications and IT services to the European Railways community. Its core services include the Hermes VPN, a private IP network connecting more than 50 railway companies in Europe, running on the BT Global Network. In addition, Hit Rail provides a range of interoperability solutions under the HEROS brand, based on a middleware platform directly connected to the Hermes VPN. To deliver these services, Hit Rail must rely on a secure, flexible and scalable IT architecture and this was a major factor in the decision to migrate to the AWS public cloud.
As the widespread availability of connectivity continues to speed up the digitalisation of services and products, and generate operational efficiencies in the railway industry, the emergence of cloud technologies and the cloud “everything-as-a-service” delivery model has dramatically changed the way companies are building and delivering IT applications. Hit Rail’s decision is a direct response to these developments in the market place and the needs of its customers.
Antonio Lopez, General Manager of Hit Rail B.V. said: “Our customers depend on us, as specialist providers of their IT services, to provide the best and most up-to-date services possible. Security remains and always will be a priority, but reliability, flexibility and future-proofing are important factors as the industry rapidly changes in a digital world. This aligns very much with our decision to migrate our HEROS interoperability platform to a public cloud computing provider willing to host, manage and support our middleware platform on behalf of Hit Rail for a minimum of three years. In inQdo we have found a partner we can trust with this business-critical and sensitive project to the benefit of our customers.”
Bart Boonen, managing partner of inQdo , said: “Together with Hit Rail, we designed a solid migration plan. This migration plan, combined with inQdo’s extensive experience and best practices, forms a sound, future-proof solution that enables Hit Rail to flexibly serve its customers. After completing the migration, our consultants will be responsible for delivering support regarding the AWS IaaS platform. At the same time, we’ll continually strive to improve the platform. We’re definitely looking forward to this collaboration!”
